Matinee Classics - Julie London Biography & Filmography

Julie London ACTOR

PHOTOS

JULIE LONDON BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Julie London was born on September 26th, 1926 in Santa Rosa, California with the birth name Julie Peck, born to Jack and Josephine Peck. Her parents were both vaudeville performers so she grew up in a family involved in entertainment. With a move at the age of fourteen to Los Angeles, California she was now in the right city to pursue her own dreams as an actress.

After graduating from the Hollywood Professional School in 1945, London began pursuing her dream. She first began her involvement in entertainment singing as a teenager at public venues.

When she was employed as an elevator operator, an agent by the name of Alan Ladd took notice of her and helped her get into the film industry. Her early film roles did not involve any of her singing talents such as, "Nabonga" (1944), "On Stage Everybody" (1945) and "The Red House" (1947).

During her career as an actress she would appear in more than twenty films such as, "Task Force" (1949), "Crime Against Joe" (1956), "Saddle in the Wind" (1958), "Man of the West" (1958), "The Wonderful Country" (1959) and "The Third Voice" (1960).

Julie never neglected her talent in singing and in the 1950's she turned her focus on singing. Over the course of her career, London recorded thirty two albums with some of her more popular songs being, "Cry Me a River", "The Girl Can't Help It", "Hot Toddy", "Daddy" , "Desafinado" and "Go Slow". Her final recording was, "My Funny Valentine" which was featured in the film, "Sharky's Machine" in 1981.

London also appeared on a variety of television series such as, "Rawhide", "The Big Valley", "Adam-12", "Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "The Red Skelton Hour" and her most well known acting role in, "Emergency!" portraying nurse Dixie McCall.

In addition to singing, film and television work, London also did commercials for such products as, Marlboro cigarettes and Rose Milk Skin Care Cream. She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to the Recording Industry.

London married twice, first to actor, Jack Webb in 1947 and they had two daughters, before they divorced in 1954. One of their daughters, Stacy Webb was killed in a car accident in 1996. She then married, Bobby Troup a composer and musician in 1959 and they had one daughter and twin boys. The couple remained together until he passed away in 1999.

Just one year later, Julie London passed away on October 18th, 2000 in Encino, California after suffering from a stroke. Her remains are interred beside her second husband at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills, California.